[Telecentres] Re: Robinson contribution

[Fuatai Purcell]

I support Jayne's view point. I led the Samoan delegation to the WSIS and we 
had a booth. We were very impressed with the UNV booth and the 
representative from the grassroots level handicraft association applied for 
seed funding from GKP and was successful. The next step is for the President 
who does not speak English all that well will attend the telecentre workshop 
in Brisbane. I am organising the Samoan delegation to this workshop as well 
and will select a couple more people (provided we can find some funding) to 
attend. I think regardless of whether they speak English or not, being there 
listened and look at examples is more than enough to empower them and 
motivate to take information back to their respective organisations. 

So, lets move forward as suggested by Andy and others. Don, you are correct 
in your views but let us be those who do the hard work and pass it on to our 
own respective countries to benefit civil society. 

Jayne Cravens writes: 

Given recent comments by Don, Florence, Arun and others before, plus
 >  the fact there is such a wealth of experience concerning the real work of
 >  Telecentres on this list, I suggest one of the main things that is lacking 
 >  within WSIS is the voice of the grassroots with most of those participating 
 >  speaking for other people's experiences rather than from their own.  
 
One of the reasons that the UNITeS/UNV display at the WSIS in Geneva stood out so much, IMO, was that we created, as much as possible, a real telecenter, staffed by local volunteers we brought in from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who ran ICT4D initiatives, including telecenters, back in their own countries. Our booth was run as a real telecenter, with sign-in sheets and the telecenter "staff" providing technical assistance to users and with these local grassroots people making presentations and talking to visitors about their experience.  
 
I don't believe that UNV will be doing such an exhibit again at the WSIS in Tunis, but I hope someone else will. I think it's an excellent way to "walk the talk" about the importance of local voices in telecenter management. 

 

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Jayne Cravens ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Online Volunteering Specialist
United Nations Volunteers
www.unvolunteers.org
Bonn, Germany 

Online Volunteering:  www.onlinevolunteering.org
UNITeS: www.unites.org
Global volunteerism portal: www.worldvolunteerweb.org
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Mrs Gisa Fuatai Purcell
Secretary/ICT Advisor
National ICT Committee
Government of Samoa 

Phone: +685 25356
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Other: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 

have a nice day hope you got all your mail today
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